Approved Herring River Restoration Committee Mtg Mins

Minutes

Members Present: Tim Smith, Eric Derleth, Steve Spear, Peter Herridge, Steve Block, Hunt Durey, Hillary Greenberg, Gary Joseph

Others Present:  Margo Fenn, Don Palladino, Martha Craig, Chris Rein, Helen Miranda Wilson, Jill Gannon (by phone)

Administration/Coordination

Communications/Coordination with Friends of Herring River (FHR):  Don Palladino provided an update on FHR activities. The Wellfleet Board of Selectmen invited comments on options for High Toss Road at its March 22, 2016 meeting.  Public opinion was mixed about whether or not to remove the road. The Selectmen voted not to recommend a petitioned town meeting article regarding this matter but deferred their decision about High Toss Road alternatives until after town meeting.

The Committee discussed possible recreational trail alternatives in the vicinity of the river.  The group agreed that the High Toss subcommittee should investigate the feasibility of another recreational access route to Griffin Island.

Gary Joseph mentioned a number of questions that he has heard regarding the Project.  The group agreed that continued public outreach is needed by all the Project partners, including newsletters, websites, social media, public meetings and one-on-one meetings with property owners.

FHR will hold a public information meeting on Thursday, April 14, 2016 to address some questions that have been raised about the Restoration Project.  This will include several short presentations on different topics.

The Committee also discussed again sending a letter to update abutting property owners about the status of the Restoration Project.  This should be done in coordination with the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (FEIS/EIR).

Approval of Minutes:  The Committee voted unanimously to approve the minutes of the February 25, 2016 HRRC meeting.

Schedule of Meetings:  The Committee approved the following schedule for upcoming meetings:

            March 28, 2016           Technical Working Group (TWG) Meeting

            April 14, 2016             HRRC regular meeting

            May 11, 2016              HRRC regular meeting

Adaptive Management:  Jill Gannon of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) joined the meeting by phone.  She presented the Committee with a draft consequence table-and discussed with the group how to fill in the needed information on the table.  This will require data from the Woods Hole Group (WHG) hydrodynamic model.  Kirk Bosma of WHG has submitted a proposal outlining the work that is necessary to provide this data. 

Work Plan Updates:

CBI Facilitation:  The Consensus Building Institute is continuing to facilitate discussions between HRRC and the Chequessett Yacht and Country Club (CYCC). The Committee discussed how to respond to a recent proposal prepared by CYCC and how the adaptive management process might address some of CYCC’s concerns, including monitoring of groundwater effects. The Woods Hole Group (WHG) has completed a new report on groundwater issues in Mill Creek. The firm of Sanborn Head has reviewed that report as well as some earlier analyses of groundwater issues in Mill Creek and recommended next steps.

Steve Spear, Eric Derleth and Tim Smith reported on a recent meeting that they had with groundwater experts at USGS. USGS will propose a recommended study plan for further groundwater modeling and monitoring in association with the Restoration Project.  The Committee discussed how this work might be funded.

Low-lying Properties:  George Price provided the Committee with an update on the status of two private properties within Cape Cod National Seashore.  Martha Craig provided an update on other meetings with low-lying property owners.

Budget:  The budget planning process for the Fiscal Year 2017 MA State Capital Fund, through the MA Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) is underway and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) announced a new round of competitive grant funding for coastal and marine habitat restoration, with applications due on April 6, 2016. The Committee reviewed the status of the current work program (under the existing MA DER FY 16 and NOAA Year 3 grants) and discussed what next steps would be needed under each task in order to bring the Project to the construction phase.  Chris Rein and Martha Craig provided a SmartSheet outline to guide the discussion.

The Committee also discussed a U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) grant program that could provide construction funding for the Restoration Project. While this is a transportation program, one of the key criteria for selection is environmental sustainability.  Grant applications are due at the end of April 2016.  Local and regional government entities are eligible to apply.

Final Environmental Impact Statement/Report (FEIS/EIR):  A camera-ready version of the FEIS/EIR is due to be completed soon.  It will be filed with MEPA and the Cape Cod Commission in late April and public release is expected in early May (estimated May 11, 2016 publication in the MA Environmental Monitor).  The Cape Cod Commission will hold a public hearing in late May or early June.  Under this schedule MEPA would issue its decision by June 17, 2016.  The National Park Service (NPS) would prepare its Record of Decision (ROD) in that same timeframe.

The Committee discussed the logistics of the environmental review process. The MEPA office will receive two paper copies and a CD copy of the filing. All State agencies that will issue permits should receive a hard copy and a CD copy. Hard copies should be sent to the Truro and Wellfleet libraries.  All other commenters may receive a CD copy (or a link to the full document with download capability on an external website posting) with an accompanying letter detailing either a) what the link is, or b) noting the inclusion of a CD for their use but also noting how they may obtain a hard copy should they not have access to computer or that a hard copy is available at the local Truro or Wellfleet libraries. Appendices to the main text of the document will be placed on a CD in the hard copies.

Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) December 2016 Conference:  The Committee discussed possible participation in the upcoming RAE conference. Members noted that there have been presentations on the Herring River Project in previous RAE conference and that there will likely be a session this year on Blue Carbon that includes Herring River.

Documents Referred to in the Meeting:

-Minutes of the 2/25/16 HRRC Meeting